# Create a style rule

**Category:** [Standards & Brand Hub](https://help.totalctrl.app/hc/totalctrl/totalctrl-help-center/en-US/categories/standards)
**Updated:** 2026-10-04

## What style rules cover

Style rules capture writing guidance that is not tied to a specific term — things like sentence length, capitalization, or how you handle numbers. Each rule belongs to a **category**: `Voice`, `Grammar`, `Formatting`, `Terminology`, `Structure`, or `Punctuation`.
## Create a rule

- Open **Style Rules** for your package and click **New rule**.
- Enter a **Name** (required) and pick a **Category**.
- Choose a **Severity**: `Required`, `Preferred`, `Avoid`, or `Forbidden`.
- Optionally set **Applies to** targets and add **Notes**.
- Tick **Language agnostic** if the rule holds the same in every language.
- Save to open the rule editor.

## Per-language detail

On the rule editor you can add a **locale** for each language. For every locale you can provide:

- A **description** of the rule in that language.
- A **good example** and a **bad example**.
- A **severity override** (or inherit the rule's default).
- Locale-specific **notes**, and a toggle to **disable** the rule for that language.

## Tips

Good and bad examples are especially valuable because connected AI apps use them to show, not just tell. Once your rules are in place, pair them with a [tone profile](build-a-tone-profile) and [connect the package to your apps](connect-standards-to-your-apps).

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## Related Articles

- [Brand Portals: a public home for your brand](https://help.totalctrl.app/en-US/articles/brand-portal)
- [App Settings: assign a package to each app](https://help.totalctrl.app/en-US/articles/standards-app-settings)
- [Brand Voice: your workspace's verbal identity](https://help.totalctrl.app/en-US/articles/brand-voice)
- [Create your first Standards Package](https://help.totalctrl.app/en-US/articles/create-a-standards-package)
- [Build a tone profile](https://help.totalctrl.app/en-US/articles/build-a-tone-profile)

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